Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
17th International IDEA Conference Studies in English, Elazığ, Türkiye, 7 - 09 Mayıs 2025, (Yayınlanmadı)
Language and technology serve as essential instruments for the control and manipulation of individuals within totalitarian governments. This study analyzes a dystopian novel called Prophet Song (2023) written by Paul Lynch which is set in Ireland. The novel, which received the Booker Prize 2023, focuses on the ways in which state policies progressively oppress individuals and reinforce control mechanisms. In the novel, the far-right National Alliance Party seizes control of the Republic of Ireland, resulting in the suspension of the Irish Constitution and the establishment of a new secret police agency. The narrative concerns the arrest and disappearance of many people including Eilish’s husband, a teacher and union leader, and her battle against the rising demands from the state. She is compelled to escape to Northern Ireland with her children, and the narrative depicts this traumatic travel toward an uncertain future. The novel illustrates a future where personal liberties are forfeited, and the government employs technology and language as instruments of manipulation. It explores the consequences of a dystopian world in contemporary life, focusing on social injustice, erosion of personal privacy, and governmental control. In light of dystopian theory, this study aims to examine how totalitarian governments in contemporary countries subject their citizens to abuse, insecurity, cruelty and injustice.
Keywords: Prophet Song, Paul Lynch, Dystopia, Control Mechanisms, Totalitarian Governments